Dear Hill Families,

We hope that you had a wonderful Spring Break!  I was able to travel with the Trojan Belles to Hawaii, where they performed at Pearl Harbor.  This was such an memorable event for our family!

We are back in the swing of learning at Hill School.  Thank you for always having a vigilant eye while on campus.  We are continuing to refine and adjust our safety procedures.  After recent safety walks on campus with district personnel we have a few safety adjustments we would like to make to arrival and dismissal.

Single point entry is recommended on all AISD campuses.  Beginning Monday, March 26, we will lock the back campus door by the gym at all times.  For arrival and dismissal, parents and students will need to enter at the front doors or the back cafeteria door.  Thank you for your cooperation. We continue to work with district personnel to advocate for more cameras, fencing and lighting on campus.  We have recently installed a doorbell for the 5^th grade Commons Building.  We are working to have a camera and buzzer system installed there, as well.

We want to invite everyone to attend out Campus Advisory Council Meeting on April 2 at 3:15 pm in the Hill Library, where our guest will be Council Member Alison Alter.  Ms. Alter is coming to meet with our campus community to discuss any concerns we have regarding traffic safety at Hill School.  Also present at this meeting will be an APD representative, ATD and Public Words representatives, and the Quarter Cent Funds Manager.  We hope to see you at this important meeting!

I wanted to inform parents that fourth grade teacher, Katy Frazier, recently resigned from AISD.  We appreciate Ms. Frazier’s service to the students and staff of Hill Elementary School.  We have hired Halah Helt as the new classroom teacher.  Ms. Helt graduated from Texas State University, and student taught in the 4^th and 5^th grades.  We are so please to have Ms. Helt teaching at Hill!

We recently received our projections for 2018-2019 and are beginning to work on staffing for the new school year.  Next year we will have: 3 classes PK, 7 classes Kindergarten, 7 classes 1^st grade, 8 classes 2^nd grade, 8 classes 3^rd grade, 7 classes 4^th grade and 6 classes 5^th grade.  We will also have two sections of Essential Areas in Art, Music and PE.

Have a wonderful Spring!

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Through the Arts

The biennial Hill Fine Arts Festival is coming up on March 28, 2018 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.! This year, we are celebrating the art, music, theater, dance, and storytelling of Hispanic Heritage.The Family Evening Event is FREE, thanks to the generous support of the Hill PTA!

Some events to look forward to are:

– ART: Student Art Show featuring artworks from all Hill students K-5 and Make & Take Art Stations!

– MUSIC: Performances featuring the Hill 4th grade Choir, all 3rd grade classes, all 1st grade classes,  and Mrs. Herb’s after-school Guitar Class!

– DANCE: Zumba Dancing with Coach Schafer and Mr. T! Folk Dancing with Friends and Family!

– STORYTELLING: Tales From Mexico with Bernadette Nason!

– GAMES: Art Treasure Hunt, Music Bingo, and a Music Walk!

We are looking forward to spending a fun-filled evening enjoying Art, Music , Dance, Theater, and Storytelling with your family! Please remember to travel together as a family so that you have opportunities to experience the arts together.  This week, students in grades 3-5 will be enjoying performances of Austin High School’s Ballet Folklorico group and Crockett High School’s Mariachi group. See you soon!

Our focus for this coffee is Dyslexia and some of the services that Hill school provides for dyslexic students.  Mr. Drummond, our AP and 504 coordinator will be present to share details with you about the identification process and services we offer.  Also, Deborah Underwood, Hill Reading Specialist will explain the Taking Flight program and model some of the strategies used with students.

Only 12 spaces are left!  Commemorate your 5th graders time at Hill with a dedication AD.

The deadline to buy these ads is Wednesday 3/28 at midnight.  Don’t wait!

1.Visit www.balfour.com and find our school.

2.Click the “Yearbook Ads” icon and select the size ad you want to purchase

3.Create an account. (name, email and password)

4.Enter student’s first and last name and click CREATE NEW AD.

5.Choose ad and design

6.Upload your photos and design the ad.

7.Click ADD TO CART and checkout.  The add will be delivered to the yearbook staff.

**The yearbook staff cannot see adds that are incomplete. You must complete your add and pay for it by 3/28 to be included in the yearbook.

Please welcome Heidi Elisabeth Braun, born Monday, March 19th at 5:50 AM weighing 7lbs 6ozs. Congratulations to Caroline Braun and her family!

The Good News: These 3 pictures show EVERY item that was in Lost and Found as of Wednesday.

11 jackets, 2 lunches, 4 water bottles, an ice pack and a football (actually I found the football’s owner).

Everything else was cleared out on Monday and donated to charity.

The Bad News: By the time this newsletter reaches you on Sunday, there will be many more items in Lost and Found.

We are at the tail end of this cold weather, folks.  If you label your jackets, you may be able to use them next year or pass them along to a sibling or friend.  If you don’t, I will probably end up drowning in coats again, losing faith in humanity, and giving them away at the end of the year.

Come on! We can do this together!!  You Label Them, I’ll Return Them!

PLEASE look.  It’s only 3 pictures.  Let’s get these things home.  Come by or send me an email (sandyk@austin.rr.com) if an item is yours or you know whose it is.

We are excited to announce the nominations for the 2018-2019 Hill PTA Board. Come show your support and vote at the PTA meeting on March 22nd at 7:50AM in the library. Thanks to the nominating committee for their time and dedication finding these great Nominees! And thanks to the Nominees for their willingness to serve on the Board. Hill is the best because of all of it’s volunteers.

Hill Elementary PTA
Nominating Committee Report
Executive Officers Slate for 2018-19

The following individuals have been nominated for the offices indicated for the 2018-19 school year:

President – Melinda Anderson
Vice President 1 – (Communications) Melanie Waters
Vice President 2 – (Sponsorship) Karen DeRouen
Vice President 3 – (Membership) Caroline Marquis
Treasurer – Holly Jordan
Secretary – Lara Farahani
Campus Advisory (CAC) Representative – Megan Smith

Each candidate has expressed their willingness to serve.

This slate is the recommendation of the undersigned nominating committee. Other nominations from the floor will be accepted at the PTA meeting held on March 22, 2018 at 7:50am. Voting will take place at this meeting.

Hill PTA Nominating Committee:

Melinda Anderson – Nominating Committee Chair
Mary Haines
Alex Winslow
Margaret Bettinger
Karen DeRouen

Committee Chairs are needed to lead some of Hill’s programs next year! So grab a friend (it’s always more fun with a friend!) and let us know what you’d like to help out with:

1. College Days: Bring in working-world professionals to speak to the kids at assembly once a month. For more information and questions, email collegedays@hillelementary.com.

2. Cultural Committee: Organize the annual Heritage Cultural Fashion show in the Spring to celebrate the diverse cultures and nations at our school. For more information and questions, email culturalcommittee@hillelementary.com.

3. Directory: Coordinate with the office staff and download the needed information for the Directory Spot app. This position has changed over the years and is now super easy! Most of the work would be done the first few months of the school year. For more information and questions, email directory@hillelementary.com.

4. Hill Hoopla: Coordinate and plan Hill’s annual parents and teacher/staff evening mixer and fundraiser. For more information and questions, email hoopla@hillelementary.com.

5. Blood Drive: Organize and coordinate two blood drives for the Hill community. For more information and questions, email president@hillelementary.com.

6. Lost and Found: Organize lost items from the playground. Advertise lost items in the Dillo Details weekly. For more information and questions, email president@hillelementary.com.

7. Reflections: Advertise, coordinate and collect Reflections submissions from Hill students. For more information and questions, email reflections@hillelementary.com.

8. Sock Hop: Coordinate and Plan Hill’s annual Sock Hop in September. Planning for this event needs to start soon and most commitments would wrap up by the end of September. For more information and questions, email sockhop@hillelementary.com.

9. Veteran’s Day: Coordinate Hill’s annual Veteran’s Day assembly in November. For more information and questions, email president@hillelementary.com.

10. Web team: Do you know how to work with WordPress? We would love to have more help with our Hill PTA website. Our current web team has worked hard to get our new and improved website all set this year. Updates are needed at the beginning of the year and then information needs to be added monthly to advertise for our school’s events. Our Web team members will have 5th graders next year so it is VERY important to find some new web team members that can take over this super important committee. For more information and questions, email president@hillelementary.com.

11. Safety Committee: This new committee would focus on checking in with the school and asking administrators how they can help with keeping our Dillos safe each day. Help is mostly needed at the beginning of the year getting the kids used to all the routines and familiar with the school. For more information and questions, email president@hillelementary.com.

12. Open House Committee: This new committee will work on organizing Open House and gathering volunteers to help on the day of Open House. For more information and questions, email president@hillelementary.com.

If you are interested in helping with another committee, there’s lots of information to choose from: https://www.hillelementary.com/volunteer/pta/. Thanks in advance!

The 2018 Hill Hoopla welcomes you to Hooplapalooza festival! It’s sure to be the hottest ticket in town! Imagine kicking back or dancing the night away amidst the flowers, lights and flags of a festival with all your friends. Come as your favorite music performer or in your favorite festival gear or come as you are!

Hooplapalooza will take place on April 13th, 2018! Right here in our neighborhood at the Doubletree by Hilton at the NW corner of Mopac & 183.

What is Hoopla? Hill Hoopla is a fun night out for parents, teachers and staff. The evening includes food, dancing, lots of great company and an auction. Proceeds benefit Hill PTA and your Hill Dillo!

Have questions? Want to get involved? Contact Mary Haines and Megan Smith at
hoopla@hillelementary.com

Hill Hoopla is quickly approaching and we want to make this year better than ever! One of the most fun and successful parts of Hoopla are the Buy-in Parties. As a host, you organize and plan an event of your choosing and provide the whole party package. At Hoopla, your party will be featured with the other buy-in parties so that guests may sign up and “buy an invite”.

An individual, a couple, or even a group of friends can host an event for kids or adults. Hosts cover the cost of throwing the event so that 100% of the funds raised from each buy-in party go directly to our Dillos.

Past ideas have included Backyard Movie Nights, Cocktail Parties, Kids Ice Cream Party and  Crafting Parties. We can’t wait to hear from you and find out what amazing parties you put together!

If you would like help or a complete list of our ideas please email Kerri Westmoreland at kerriwestmoreland@gmail.com or Jessica Epstein at jepstein598@gmail.com.